Democracy

Why is democracy so fragile in both of our large subcontinental neighbours?

How come Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, and Sri Lanka remain constitutional, democratic, and stable despite Islam and Buddhism, respectively, but Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar don't?

Sri Lanka's new President Dissanayake pledges to clean public life

Sri Lanka's new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday vowed to preserve democracy and do everything to clean public life. The remarks by Dissanayake, 56, came as he was sworn in as Sri Lanka's ninth president on Monday by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat. In his inaugural address to the nation, Dissanayake thanked his predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe for respecting the people's mandate and facilitating a peaceful transfer of power. I assure you that I will do my best to preserve democracy and work towards restoring the honour of politicians as people have misgivings about their conduct," Dissanayake said in an address after taking the oath. Dissanayake stressed Sri Lanka cannot remain in isolation and needed international cooperation. He said he is not a magician, but his objective is to be part of a collective responsibility to elevate the economic crisis-stricken country. I'm not a magician. I'm an ordinary citizen born in this country. I

How some nations manage upheavals successfully and others go to pieces

The Sri Lankan transition was smoothly managed. Check Bangladesh for contrast. They forced their incumbent into exile, and installed a mostly unelectable govt of non-political people

'One Nation, One Election' will strengthen democracy, Centre-State relations: Ashwini Vaishnaw

PM Modi asks BJP members to focus on young generation in membership drive

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a swipe at opposition parties, saying many of them are examples of what happens when political organisations do not follow internal democracy. Speaking at the launch of the BJP's membership drive, he said the 33 per cent reservation for women in assemblies and Lok Sabha will get implemented when the BJP build itself further through this campaign. During the BJP's membership drive held every six years, existing memberships are renewed and new members are enrolled into its fold. BJP president J P Nadda enrolled Modi as the first member, marking the launch of the drive. The prime minister asked BJP members to think innovatively and make border villages fortresses for the party. PM Modi said the new generation is not aware of headlines about scams 10 years ago, and asked party leaders to target the 18-25 year age group during the membership drive. Recalling the BJP's rise from its humble beginning as a two-MP party in Lok Sabha, Modi credit

Protesters against overhaul plan urge Mexican prez to 'respect democracy'

Thousands demonstrated in Mexico's capital Sunday in the latest opposition to President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador's proposed judicial overhaul and other moves by the governing party that critics say will weaken democratic checks and balances. Throngs of people, many of them striking federal court workers and judges, ended their march outside the Supreme Court building in the heart of the capital, waving flags reading Judicial independence and Respect democracy." Right now, we're protesting the reforms, but it's not just the reforms, said lawyer Mauricio Espinosa. Its all of these attacks against the judicial branch and other autonomous bodies. What it does is end up strengthening the executive, the next president. Following big electoral victories in June by the president's Morena party and its allies, the government has pushed for sweeping changes to Mexico's judicial system, long at odds with Lpez Obrador, a populist who has openly attacked judges and ignored court orders. His ..

Hasina will be back in B'desh once democracy restored: Hasina's son

Sheikh Hasina, who quit as prime minister and fled Bangladesh, will be back in the country as soon as democracy is restored, his son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said on Thursday and blamed Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, for fuelling the ongoing unrest in the country. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Joy said although 76-year-old Hasina would definitely return to Bangladesh, it is not yet decided whether she will be back as a "retired or active" politician. He also asserted that the members of the Sheikh Mujib (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) family will neither abandon its people nor leave the beleaguered Awami League in the lurch. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for protecting his mother and appealed to India to help build international opinion and exert pressure for the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh. "Yes, it is true that I had said she wouldn't return to Bangladesh. But a lot has changed in the last two days following continuous attacks on

US urges Bangladesh's interim govt to 'respect democratic principles'

The oath-taking ceremony of the interim government in Bangladesh will take place today evening

18 Jharkhand BJP MLAs suspended, LoP says 'black day' in democracy

Eighteen Jharkhand BJP MLAs were on Thursday suspended from the assembly for a day and subsequently removed by marshals after they refused to leave the House. Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto acted against the BJP legislators after they caused a disruption in the House in protest against the eviction of opposition MLAs by marshals the previous day and Chief Minister Hemant Soren's "refusal" to address their questions. Leader of the Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri alleged that a "dictatorship" was prevailing in Jharkhand and claimed that action was taken against BJP legislators at the behest of the JMM-led government. Several BJP MLAs spent Wednesday night in the assembly lobby after marshals evicted them from the well of the House. They had been protesting Soren's alleged refusal to answer their questions on key issues, including employment. Much before the House proceedings were scheduled to begin at 11 AM on Thursday, BJP legislators entered the well of the House, raising slogans demandi

Post-communist generation hopes for new era of democracy in Mongolia

Tsenguun Saruulsaikhan, a young and newly minted member of Mongolia's parliament, is unhappy with below-cost electricity rates that she says show her country has yet to fully shake off its socialist past. Most of Mongolia's power plants date from the Soviet era and outages are common in some areas. Heavy smog envelops the capital Ulaanbaatar in the winter because many people still burn coal to heat their homes. It's stuck in how it was like 40, 50 years ago, said Tsenguun, part of a rising generation of leaders who are puzzling out their country's future after three decades of democracy. And that's the reason why we need to change it. Democracy in Mongolia is in a transition phase, said Tsenguun, who at 27 is the youngest member of a new parliament sworn in this week. We are trying to figure out what democracy actually means, she said in a recent interview. Discontented voters deliver a ruling party setback Mongolia became a democracy in the early 1990s after six decades of one-pa

'Constitutional Morality' essential to India's diversity: CJI Chandrachud

Espousing the importance of implementing Constitutional Morality' in Indian jurisprudence, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Saturday insisted on the commitment of courts to ensure diversity, inclusion and tolerance. Speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day East Zone II Regional Conference of the National Judicial Academy, the CJI also focused on the importance of technological advancements in the justice delivery system. CJI Chandrachud elaborated on the notion of Constitutional Morality' as a restraining factor on the state that should derive from the Preambluar values of the Constitution. Underlining the country's federal structure that's marked by a great deal of diversity, the CJI focused on the role of judges in preserving the diversity of India. I am reticent when people call courts a temple of justice. Because that would mean the judges are deities which they are not. They are instead servers of the people, who deliver justice with compassion and empathy, CJ

President Biden concedes missteps, vows to press on despite calls to quit

Trump attempted to harness momentum following the debate with his own rally in Virginia, ridiculing Biden's debate performance

Bolivia coup fails as prez asks people to mobilise against democracy threat

Armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia's government palace Wednesday in an apparent coup attempt against President Luis Arce, but he vowed to stand firm and named a new army commander who ordered troops to stand down. The soldiers later pulled back as supporters of Arce waved Bolivian flags and cheered in a central square. In a video of Arce surrounded by ministers in the palace, the Bolivian leader said: "Here we are, firm in Casa Grande, to confront any coup attempt. We need the Bolivian people to organize. Arce confronted the general commander of the army Juan Jos Ziga, who appeared to be leading the rebellion in the palace hallway, as shown on video on Bolivian television. I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination, Arce said. Before entering the government building, Ziga told journalists in the plaza: Surely soon there will be a new Cabinet of ministers; our country, our state cannot go on like this." But, he

Birla's decisions in last 5 years as Speaker strengthened democracy: Paswan

Union Minister Chirag Paswan said Wednesday the decisions taken by Kota MP Om Birla as the speaker of the last Lok Sabha have strengthened democracy. NDA nominee Birla was elected as the speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha on Wednesday after a motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was adopted through voice votes. This will be Birla's second consecutive term in the post. Taking a jibe at the opposition for forcing an election for the crucial parliamentary position, Paswan said that in many opposition party-ruled states, the posts of both the speaker and the deputy speaker of the assembly are held by the ruling parties. Paswan, the chief of BJP ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), also came out in the defence of Birla as several opposition leaders accused him of being partial towards treasury benches during his last tenure. "Decisions taken by the speaker in the last five years have upheld the dignity of the Constitution and strengthened democracy," Paswan said. "Elections are ove

Hong Kong court nears sentencing activists for unofficial primary

A Hong Kong court began mitigation hearings for prominent pro-democracy activists who were convicted under a national security law and now face up to life in prison. The activists were among 47 democracy advocates who were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021 for their involvement in an unofficial primary, in the biggest case brought under the Beijing-imposed national security law. They were accused of attempting to paralyze Hong Kong's government and topple the city's leader by securing a legislative majority and using it to block city budgets. Forty-five of the defendants either pled guilty or were convicted by a three-judge panel whose membership was approved by the government. The judges said their plans to effect change through the election would have undermined the government's authority and created a constitutional crisis, in a verdict that critics said raised doubt about judicial independence. The first batch of defendants to plead for lenient sentences ...

People's blessing in elections a 'victory of democracy': PM Modi in Italy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday highlighted the recently-held Lok Sabha elections in his address at an outreach session of the G7 summit here and said the "blessings" that the people of India have given in the form of a historic win in the polls is a "victory of democracy". The prime minister in his speech also shared some figures to underline the mammoth scale of the world's largest democratic exercise in India which was held between April 19 and June 1 in seven phases. Votes were counted on June 4. Modi is in Italy to attend the 50th G7 Summit at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni. He addressed an outreach session on artificial intelligence, energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean, alongside leaders from other countries, including Pope Francis. This is his first foreign visit after being sworn in as the prime minister of India for the third consecutive time after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's victory in the general elections. "The blessings

Enabling true journalism: The design principles

The role of the media as the watchdog of democracy can only be fulfilled through a balanced distribution of power, fostering dialogue, and upholding transparency

Democracy, DeepTech and a Developed India

India's technology vision for the next decade is ambitious yet attainable

Festival of democracy to be successful when it defeats dictators: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged people on Saturday to vote for change and asserted that the "festival of democracy" will be considered successful only when democratic powers defeat the dictatorial ones. He said the last phase of voting to save the Constitution and democracy was underway in the country and the INDIA bloc was fighting the dictatorial powers with courage. "The battle is now in its final phase. The public has stood firmly with us in every phase. After six phases, people want to see us win," Kharge said in a post on 'X'. The people want to see the Congress' guarantees fulfilled, he added. "This time the country has supported and sided with 'Yuva Nyay, Kisaan Nyay, Nari Nyay, Shramik Nyay and Hissedari Nyay. "This festival of democracy will be considered successful only when the democratic powers defeat the dictatorial powers," the Congress leader said. "Today, when you press the EVM button for 57 seats in 8 states and Union territories, think about the Pre

One nation, many elections

India needs more elections, not fewer of them